Upside-Down Corkscrew

Spintop: YYJ Gates

Description: With the top spinning on the throwing hand, wrap the string several times around that arm as in normal corkscrew, except that the string is not wrapped first around the spintop tip. Instead, leave the button hanging from the hand with a short piece of the string. The string should form a counter-clockwise (ccw) spiral as seen looking from the hand towards the elbow (reversed if left-handed). Hop the top into the non-throwing hand and wrap the string around its tip in a ccw direction. Slide the top to a bind between the two hands. Gyro-flop the top so it is hanging upside down. Swing around the throwing hand to start the corkscrew. Catch the start of the string with that hand and quickly lower the non-throwing hand to catch the end of the string. Corkscrew around the rest of the arm and exit to a bind between the two hands. Straighten the top.

Advice: The start of the corkscrew is probably the most difficult part. Start with a slow but ample swing of the arm while putting the hands together. Let the top drop a little while doing it. Then speed up for the rest of the corkscrew. Use at least 4 wraps so the string stays around the arm long enough to catch the end with the hand.

Notes: It is also possible to start with the spintop on the non-throwing hand. First bind the tip and then use a scooping motion of the throwing arm to wrap the string in a corkscrew around that arm.

Another possibility is to do it from the elbow towards the hand, with the arm pointing down, but when I try it the string slides down and it becomes UD MGR after one or two turns. This variation could be combined with a reversible corkscrew or a bondage by gyro-flopping between the two arms.

History/Etymology: At the 2005 World Contest, Jack Ringca told me he had seen an upside-down corkscrew in Singapore (by whom?) and described me the elbow-to-hand version. So I developed this version and used it to close my freestyle at the 2005 US Nationals.